Miami-Dade is reopening parks, marinas, golf courses this week — but Miami is waiting

On Wednesday Miami-Dade’s six-week closure order for parks will officially end, replaced by a new set of rules aimed at limiting close encounters during the coronavirus pandemic. That won’t mean all parks will be available, though, as Miami opts to keep city parks closed longer.

Mayor Carlos Gimenez chose a basketball court at Tropical Park to announce the coming end of his March 19 order closing recreational facilities countywide. It was part of a regional strategy to back away from COVID-19 restrictions on recreation, with Broward and Palm Beach counties announcing similar steps at the same time Gimenez did. In Key West, some beaches are opening this week but only for residents — two highway checkpoints are still in place in the Upper Keys to keep out tourists and visitors.

“This is the new normal,” Gimenez told reporters before outlining park rules to be enforced by 400 private security guards hired by the county. Restrictions include one-way walking on trails, and bans on organized sports, including basketball games. “You can have up to three people on a half court taking turns throwing their balls at the hoop. You can probably play Horse, but there can be no contact.”

Gimenez’s Monday announcement marked the first significant rollback of emergency measures imposed throughout March that have shut down thousands of businesses and closed off public and private recreational areas to residents across Miami-Dade. Beaches remain closed under the terms of the new order, and Gimenez has said the county’s oceanfront will be among the last places to reopen as coronavirus spread declines.

Florida’s Department of Health on Monday morning confirmed 610 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the state total of confirmed cases to 32,138. There were 14 new deaths announced since Sunday morning, bringing the statewide death toll to 1,088.

Six of the deaths were in South Florida, according to Florida’s COVID-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard. One person died in Miami-Dade, four in Broward and one in Palm Beach County. In all, Miami-Dade has more than 11,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, and Broward nearly 4,800.

While the original county closure orders apply to municipal parks, cities are free to impose stricter rules. Two hours before Gimenez announced the lifting of his March 19 order closing parks and recreational facilities countywide, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said parks within city limits would remain closed.

During a virtual news conference summarizing a three-phased approach to reopening public spaces and businesses, Suarez said Miami will reopen parks, marinas and Virginia Key beach during the first phase — but that would not begin without a green light from the Florida Department of Health.

“We want the data to drive our decisions,” Suarez said. “We want the experts to drive our decisions, not necessarily a group of people that are chosen that may have other interests. But I think the second part is that we want to make sure that what we do does not create a scenario under which we have to reverse course.”

The remarks followed Gimenez announcing a thicket of new rules for recreation in Miami-Dade, plans developed during private teleconferences with a group of government administrators, business operators, health professionals, and others, including Rodney Barreto, a partner in a Coral Gables lobbying firm and former chairman of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, Miami Commissioner Keon Hardemon, and Dr. Aileen Marty, an infectious disease researcher at Florida International University.

Suarez said he plans to speak to Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees this week about an analysis of multiple data points over a 14-day period, including the confirmed COVID-19 infections, the number of people reporting flu-like symptoms and the hospitalizations. Miami’s mayor said the city would not launch its reopening plan without the health department’s blessing following two weeks of the statistics trending downward.

Gimenez has not released the order that will cancel prior decrees that closed all parks, recreational areas, golf courses, boat ramps and marinas. So the specifics of the new rules weren’t available for his afternoon press conference.

The new rules outlined in the new order that goes into effect 6 a.m. Wednesday include:

▪ Bans on group activity: Singles tennis will be allowed, but not doubles. Basketball courts will be closed to games, but up to three people can shoot baskets per half court, provided each has their own ball. People can kick soccer balls in fields, but they can’t play soccer games. Family members from the same household may participate in “sports skills practice” together.

▪ Mask requirements: Parkgoers must wear face coverings, except for children under the age of two. Masks may be removed during “strenuous physical activity.” Social distancing requirements, mainly keeping six feet away from other people, does not apply to family members from the same household while in parks.

▪ Closures of many amenities: While cycling is allowed under the new park rules, bike racks must be off-limits. Also barred from use are dog parks, playgrounds, domino tables and skate parks.

▪ Caps on boat crews: Boats less than 25-feet-long could have a maximum of four adults aboard, personal watercraft rentals are limited to one per person, and one vessel at a time may use boat ramps. The existing ban on boat raft-ups would continue.

▪ New rules for golf: Along with limiting golf carts to one person, games would be played with noodles in holes to prevent people from having to reach inside and pick up their balls. Players also are banned from touching the flags that mark the cups. Beverage carts can continue operating, provided staff wear masks and food and drinks are placed on the ground.

Gimenez said the new park security guards will join county park rangers and Miami-Dade employees from other agencies in enforcing the rules. Parking lots will be cut by at least 25 percent capacity to reduce attendance, use of boat ramps will be limited to one vessel at a time. Gimenez said violators will be asked to leave the park, and that repeat offenders could face arrest.

“If you persist, we’re going to have to call the Miami-Dade Police Department,” Gimenez said. The stepped-up enforcement is so that “everybody can enjoy the parks, and a few don’t spoil it for the rest of us.”

In Coral Gables, the parks and recreation department’s presentation to the City Commission Monday about reopening parks and golf courses largely mirrored the county plan. When the county parks open Wednesday, Coral Gables intends to follow suit.

But the city will also take its own precautions that go further than the county. For example, more than 35 parks in Coral Gables that are smaller than one acre will stay closed for the foreseeable future.

“Due to their small size, feasibility of maintaining the required 6ft social distancing is difficult during first phase,” the parks and recreation department said in its presentation.

There will be other wrinkles unique to Coral Gables, too. Residents 65 and over will get exclusive use of the Salvadore Tennis Center, Granada Golf Course and Philips Park on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. before the facilities open to younger residents. And only city residents will initially be able to play tennis and golf at city-run facilities.

Miami Beach administrators have said they plan to reopen city parks when Miami-Dade does, but some rules may be different. Mayor Dan Gelber said Monday that city manager Jimmy Morales will announce rules after Tuesday’s City Commission meeting with the aim to provide more open spaces for residents. “Our hope is this will help provide more spread-out opportunities for social distancing,” he said.

At his own press conference Monday, Broward County Mayor Dale Holness made a similar announcement that the county would reopen parks, golf courses, marinas and boat ramps Wednesday. But he also went a step further, saying the county will open up pools at multi-family developments for residents only, something Gimenez did not yet want to do.

In the city of Miami, Suarez outlined the city’s three-phase reopening plan in broad strokes Monday, saying details will be released as the city approaches each phase.

The first phase would end the closures of parks, marinas and Virginia Key’s beach, lift the 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew, and rescind a citywide shelter-in-place order for everyone except those who are most vulnerable to the virus (the elderly, and people with underlying health problems such as compromised immune systems).

Some non-essential businesses would be allowed to reopen, though with only a quarter of the usual occupancy, and no more than 125 people would be allowed in any business.

Suarez said he feels comfortable having Miami continue to bar residents from recreational areas even as Miami-Dade decides to loosen rules. He cited Miami deciding in early March to cancel large events, including the Ultra Music Fest, a decision Gimenez criticized at the time.

“We have not always aligned with the county,” Suarez said.

Asked about Miami saying it wanted the state Department of Health to guide the city on reopening parks, Gimenez said the state agency was part of the county group that drafted the rules going into effect Wednesday. Gov. Ron DeSantis, who oversees the Health Department and its head, the state surgeon general, praised Gimenez’s, Broward’s and Palm Beach’s reopening plan, calling it a “thoughtful approach” in a Twitter post.

“They’ve been with us the whole time,” Gimenez said of the Health Department. “They haven’t said this is too soon.”

Miami Herald staff writer Michelle Marchante contributed to this report.

This story was originally published April 27, 2020 at 4:52 PM.